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Sunday, September 27, 2015

Understanding Muscle Dysmorphia

As participants in a media-driven
culture, we are slowly but surely accepting what the television and the
internet say is the ideal body. Male bodybuilders are expected to look a
certain way, and if they don’t then they are not considered macho or even professional.

As a consequence, a 2014 study in JAMA Pediatrics showed that
the average young male is more worried about his physique than his studies or
even work. Indeed, 18% of boys are so concerned about how they look that
they are now at risk for falling victim to depression, drug abuse, and binge
drinking. When these boys become men, the need to appeal to conventional
attitudes increases and ushers inMuscle
Dysmorphia.Understanding Muscle Dysmorphia

By definition, this is a psychological disorder in which someone who is
muscular feels that they are too skinny compared to others. They focus on
a specific aspect of their musculature and punish themselves psychologically
because they feel inadequate within a particular construct.

Common behaviours related to Muscle
Dysmorphia ("Bigorexia")1. Abuse of Supplements
Bodybuilders tend to feel pressured to look a particular way (huge). Over
time, they become obsessed with that look -- so much so that their
attention is always focused on that milestone. The result is an overreliance
on supplements and an inability to set limits. Granted, supplements are a core
part of bodybuilding, but like just about anything else, the abuse of such
products can cause serious health complications.

2. Overtraining at the Gym
The universal view is that the longer you spend at the gym, the better it is
for your health. However, this is not the case when you get to the point where
you spend several hours at a fitness center working at full intensity. The human
body has a breaking point: when you push yourself beyond it, you risk
injury. In addition, those suffering from Muscle Dysmorpia tend to torture
their bodies, working out without resting even when they have serious injuries.

3. Deviant Eating Patterns
A bodybuilder is usually very selective about what they eat, but it gets
worrisome when dieting is taken to an extreme level. At that point, you
really stop caring about what your body needs and focus only on what you feel
it takes to keep and maintain that specific look.

4. Treatment for Muscle Dysmorphia
The most popular form of treatment for bigorexia applies the principles of
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is a blanket term for a wide
range of therapies designed to help a patient break bad habits. It
alters behavior in a positive way, allowing people to pursue healthy and
realistic ways of achieving their targets.

Final Thoughts

Sadly, most bodybuilders out there do not even know when they're suffering from
bigorexia -- meaning they never pursue treatment. Watch out for very
strict eating patterns, which may herald a bigger problem, as well as long, obsessive
workouts, another pointer to the existence of this condition.

About the Author

Chris Brown is a personal trainer and
bodybuilder who loves blogging about fitness on his websitewww.gainbuildmuscle.com.